Posted by quequel on March 15, 2003 at 13:44:54:
In Reply to: I LOVE YANCEY posted by quequel on March 15, 2003 at 13:20:13:
I must have made half a journal of notes from "The Jesus I Never Knew." He spoke about the tame Jesus holding the little lamb that we are given as children. There's a quote on p. 23 from Dorothy Sayers, who describes this Jesus as "A fitting household pet for pale curates and pious old ladies."
He made some really great points about the temptation, too. For example, if Jesus were all alone in the desert, how did it get written about, years later, by the disciples? He must have told them. Why? To share his struggle. Why did he struggle? We see it as a no-brainer--of course the Son of God would never give in to a fallen angel. But there must have been more. The disciples never seem to have seen it, although Judas might have fallen prey to the same temptations. What do the temptations really represent? Not just momentary fulfillment of Jesus' personal human needs or weaknesses, but ways of making sure the plan worked. He came to save the world, but maybe God's plan allowed for too much gray--after all, giving people a choice didn't really work the first time, did it?
1. Make bread. Not just because Jesus hadn't eaten, but because "A Chicken in Every Pot" appeals to everyone. Unfortunately, Communism may have kept everyone fed, but it did not make them righteous. Yancey quoted the editors of "Pravda," the Communist paper, "We tried raising money for the children of Chernobyl, but the average Russian citizen would rather spend his money on drink...How do you get them to be good?"
2. Jump. Not just to feel the brisk thrill of being special, knowing that God hadn't just dumped Him here and turned away, but to do something glorious. Something people could see. Of course, we later find that even miracles won't turn a hardened crowd into believers.
3. Worship Satan. Seems like the biggest no-brainer of all, but there's some serious temptation here--Let me just hand you the world. I'll let go of the hold of sin and make you king, and then it'll all be over. No more choices, no more struggle.
Yancey quoted Dostoevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov." "By resisting Satan's temptations to override human freedom, Jesus made Himself far too easy to reject. Fortunately, the Church recognized the error and corrected it, and has been relying on miracles, mystery, and authority ever since."
Yancey says, "By turning down the temptations in the desert, God put His own reputation at risk. It's easier to blame God for not interfering than to blam His kids for being bad."